Understanding Normal vs High Quality for AAC-LC codec
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Apologies if this is in the docs somewhere or in an existing issue. I looked quite extensively, but I couldn't find this information, and I hope it's helpful for others besides me.
I have an existing (large) library of audiobooks that I liberated using Libation back in early April. This was before the changes around the audio quality settings were introduced. I am trying to figure out if I need to redownload these books if I intend to stick with the AAC-LC codec for compatibility reasons. I know there is now a "Normal" and "High" quality option, but it is unclear to me from reading the docs if the "High" quality option has any effect when you are not using the "Use Widevine DRM" option. If I do not intend to use either xHE-AAC or spatial audio codecs, is there any benefit to redownloading my library using the "High" quality option?
I would personally appreciate this information, and I would suggest that it be included in the documentation on audio formats. Thanks so much for everyone's work on this project! I am extremely grateful for being able to remove the DRM from my Audible audiobooks.
Apologies. My documentation system isn't great. In the Table of Contents under Advanced is this link: Audio Formats (Dolby Atmos, Widevine, Spacial Audio). It goes into deep detail about this topic.
The 'high' quality will get the best version for nearly all of your books. Widevine is used very selectively. It's typically Audible's original audiodramas and stuff like that.
@rmcrackan Thanks for the response! I had actually found that documentation file, and it was super helpful in terms of understanding xHE-AAC and spatial audio formats. However, what I couldn't tell when reading it was whether or not I have already downloaded the high quality (since I liberated my library in early April before the "High" quality setting was added; I think it was added at the end of April). If I redownload my books with the latest version of Libation using the "High" quality setting (but not enabling Widevine, xHE-AAC, or spatial audio), will the new downloads likely be higher quality?
"High" setting has been there for quite a while and I believe it's the default. My guess is that with the exception of Audible-produced audiodramas, all books will be the same quality if you download them again. I recommend choosing a book or 2 and re-downloading them to compare to the old downloads. You can right-click on a book to redownload it. If I'm wrong and you need to re-download everything in order to get the best quality, hit me up here and I can tell you an easier way of doing that instead of manually selecting each.
Ah, thanks for the clarification! Just in case anyone else finds this issue for future reference, after spot checking several books in my library, there was no change in quality by redownloading them after the introduction of these new settings (assuming that the Widevine DRM options are not enabled). So, I will not need to redownload my library.